Alina Habba
| Alina Habba | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | lawyer |
Alina Habba is an American lawyer.[1] She is a partner at the legal firm of Habba Madaio & Associates, LLP, based in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Work on behalf of Donald Trump
She was hired by former President of the United States Donald Trump in September 2021.[1]
Habba represented Trump against attempts to investigate allegations he had fraudulently misrepresented the value of his assets on his New York State income tax returns.[2] Habba appealed a court order Trump and his children testify under oath about the valuations they signed for when filing those returns.[3] Her appeals failed, and Letitia James, New York's Attorney General, personally deposed Trump, on August 10, 2022.[4] While Ronald P. Fischetti took the lead role in Trump's defense, Habba was also present. Trump refused to answer all questions during the four hour deposition, under the United States Constitution's Fifth Amendment.
Judge Arthur F. Engoron had held Trump in contempt of court over his refusal to testify, ordering him to pay $110,000.[5] Habba failed to get the payment overturned.
Habba worked on Trump's behalf when he was sued for defamation by Summer Zervos.[6] Trump had called Zervos a "liar", in 2017, after she accused him of kissing her and groping her, without her consent, when she was a contestant on Trump's Reality TV show, The Apprentice. In October 2021 Habba filed Trump's countersuit against Zervos, claiming she was trying to stifle Trump's right to free speech.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jerry Lambe. Trump Lawyer Suing NYT, Mary Trump Represented Former ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Star Who Recently Claimed Facebook ‘Disabled’ Account for Wishing Melania Trump a Happy Birthday, Law and Crime magazine, 2021-09-22. Retrieved on 2022-09-03. “While this appears to be Habba’s first stint representing Trump, she did previously work on a matter tangentially related to former First Lady Melania Trump.” mirror
- ↑ Jonah E. Bromwich. Trump Set to Be Questioned Under Oath by New York A.G. Next Month, New York Times, 2022-06-07, p. A20. Retrieved on 2022-09-03. “Alina Habba, a lawyer for Mr. Trump, said soon after that ruling that she would appeal the matter to the Court of Appeals.”
- ↑ Jonah E. Bromwich, Ben Protess, William K. Rashbaum. Trump Sues New York A.G. in Bid to Stop Inquiry Into His Business, New York Times, 2021-12-20. Retrieved on 2022-09-03. “A lawyer for Mr. Trump, Alina Habba, said in a statement on Monday that the lawsuit was an effort to stop Ms. James’s 'bitter crusade to punish her political opponent in its tracks.'” mirror
- ↑ Jonah E. Bromwich. Trump and James sat across from each other for hours as he said ‘same answer’ again and again., New York Times, 2022-08-10. Retrieved on 2022-09-03. “Ms. James read an introduction at the opening of the interview but left the questioning to one of her office’s lawyers, Kevin Wallace. A number of other lawyers from her office were present, and Mr. Fischetti said he was joined by another of Mr. Trump’s attorneys, Alina Habba.” mirror
- ↑ Jonah E. Bromwich, Ben Protess. Judge Lifts Contempt Order Against Trump in Civil Inquiry, New York Times, 2022-05-11, p. A19. Retrieved on 2022-09-03.
- ↑ Ex-‘Apprentice’ Contestant Drops Defamation Lawsuit Against Trump, New York Times, 2021-11-12. Retrieved on 2022-09-03. “Last month, Ms. Habba signaled in a court document that Mr. Trump planned to file a countersuit against Ms. Zervos, arguing that she had stifled his right to speak freely.” mirror